Computing systems are routinely used to display images of objects for a wide variety of purposes. Typically, these images are 2D images that present a static representation of an object. Many applications that use such images of objects find 2D static images less than desirable as they do not present a complete representation of the object to the view. For example, a buyer of watches shopping over the Internet may wish to see the watch from different perspectives to see how the face of the watch appears when reading the displayed time as well as to see how thick the watch is as it is worn on a wrist.
Image display systems have also been developed to allow a user to pan and scroll around an object to see the object from differing perspectives. Such systems typically provide a user with a flat, 2D image that provides a panoramic view of all sides of an object while allowing a user to see a portion of the image as if the user was rotating the object. Such systems are an improvement over the flat 2D image of an object; however, these images still do not provide a true perspective view of the object in a 3D concept.
When a user views items like a watch, a user would like to see the object as if it was located within a specimen box. In such a system, the user may see different perspectives of the item by “changing the orientation of the box” to obtain a different view of the object within the box. This approach will address the need to provide a 3D perspective of the item within the confines of a 2D window into the box and thus address limitations existing in earlier image presentation systems.